I love the freedom of working for myself! Freedom has always been something that is SO important to me, and the notion of a 9-5 and having to ask permission to take a vacation – well, it never sat well with me! - Alison Andrews, SBI! member since 2009

What’s The Point of Being A Solopreneur?

Starting your own business can be, frankly, terrifying. Not only are you unsure of your future, you may even have people around you telling you you’re crazy.

In 1977, Debra Sivyer got an investment from a banker to start her own business in Palo Alto, California. She’d had some success baking cookies for the Oakland A’s – everyone told her how delicious they were, thanks to her use of real, fresh ingredients – so she thought she could make it on her own. Her own husband, however, was incredulous, and claimed she wouldn’t make $50 on her first day.

And of course, on that first day, when she opened her doors, nothing happened. Debra remembers that day well.

“I open up the store. I’ve got all these cookies. I had brownies. And I wait for the most amazing cookies sales. I just know it’s going to be a smashing success. And here I am waiting, waiting, and the day’s starting to wear, and it’s getting closer to mid afternoon, and I had a couple of customers walk in to see what was going on, but nobody actually made a purchase. I thought everything I had worked for, everything I had dreamed of, everything I had thought was possible wasn’t happening. It was pretty hard.”

Why Do We Put Ourselves Through That?

Becoming a solo and starting your own business means taking an extraordinary amount of risk. If you invest a bunch of money in a mutual fund that goes under, you’ll lose that cash, certainly. But when you invest in a business, there’s both time and money, and your reputation, at stake.

Wouldn’t it be easier to just keep working for someone else?

Of course. But easier isn’t what solopreneurs are looking for.

[Stop. If you’ve already started your business and begun the solopreneurship journey, scroll down to the comments and leave a note: why did you do it? What made you want to become a solopreneur? Ok, thanks! Please continue reading.]

So, What’s The Point of Being A Solopreneur?

There are actually a lot of reasons why people decide to become a solopreneur. Usually it’s about addressing a negative aspect in your life and turning it into a positive aspect. For instance:

Job Hate – probably the #1 reason people strike out on their own is that they don’t like what they’re currently doing. Either they dislike who they work for or with, or perhaps are unhappy with the constraints of working within a structured corporation… or maybe they just don’t like spending their time making money for other people. Whatever the case, getting out of their current job and into a better one is a huge motivator.

Lifestyle Hate – working a traditional job typically means going into work from 9 to 5, then back home, and repeating the next day, day after day. It’s routine and it’s monotonous… and you’re stuck there. It’s even worse if you’re in a small town or economically challenged region, as your options for change or moving become increasingly limited.

Income Hate – of course, if you’re working for another company, that means you’re likely stuck with a predictably low income and few, if any, raises or bonuses. Many traditional employees are unable to radically impact their income through their normal job, and therefore start looking at the alternatives.

And all of those are good, valid reasons for wanting to capture that solopreneurial spirit and grow your own business.

But that’s not the real reason.

The real reason, the point, of being a solopreneur is deeper than that. It has to do with personal fulfilment and accomplishment. You see, the real reason why you should become a solopreneur is to Do What You Love. (Yeah, that was our theme for Valentine’s Day, for good reason.)

Pursuing the “dream of owning your own business” really boils down to making sure that each day you get to wake up and be excited about that day. About all of it’s potential. You ought to love your business and what you do so much that you can’t wait to get into it.

That also means that you’ll have so much drive and passion, you’ll be willing to do whatever it takes to make it work.

Let’s go back to Debra, but this time, I want you to hear what else she has to say.

“I open up the store. I’ve got all these cookies. I had brownies. And I wait for the most amazing cookies sales. I just know it’s going to be a smashing success. And here I am waiting, waiting, and the day’s starting to wear, and it’s getting closer to mid afternoon, and I had a couple of customers walk in to see what was going on, but nobody actually made a purchase. I thought everything I had worked for, everything I had dreamed of, everything I had thought was possible wasn’t happening. It was pretty hard. I’m not going to close the book on history and say, “If only…” I’m going to do whatever I have to make this thing work.”

Right after she had that thought, she picked up a tray of her delicious cookies, marched out of her store, and started handing them out for free to anyone who walked by. Within moments, she had people standing in her store, wanting to buy more.

She didn’t come home that day with $50. She came home with $75, and the encouragement that comes with success.

Debra’s husband? That was Randy Fields, who went on to help her develop her business “Mrs. Fields Cookies” into a huge success. It was hard work, but it paid off.

As Warren G. Tracy’s student put it, “Solopreneurship is living a few years of your life like most people won’t, so you can spend the rest of your life like most people can’t.”

Be prepared for challenges and tough times, but also be focused on making sure that you’re moving in the right direction for your life.

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” – Steve Jobs

That’s why you want to be a solopreneur. To achieve what you truly want to become.

If you haven’t already, you should sign up for our mini-course on solopreneurship. Over the course of a few days, we look at many other successful solopreneurs, and the challenges they had to overcome. Funding. Failures. Focus, and other topics that will help you position yourself to be a success. Sign up below to have the free course delivered to your email.

Mike Allton is the Chief Marketing Officer for SiteSell. He has spent years helping solopreneurs achieve success online through the precepts of content marketing: write great content, share that to social, and drive new leads & sales.Mike’s focus is to reach people who have a passion for something and show them how it’s possible to turn that dream into a real online business and income.

I think the reason I started my own business is that I didn’t want to have a ceiling. I didn’t want to work in a normal job for the rest of my life and have my dreams limited to how far a could advance up the corporate ladder.

Oh man, I can really relate. A few years back when I was struggling, my father-in-law wanted me to take a job at his office. He thought a regular salary would be good for me, but I saw as nothing but a huge limitation. I’m glad I didn’t listen!

Thanks for dropping by Jeff!

Blair Warner

I went into business for myself because I wanted a flexible work schedule. I don’t care if I work more or less than a regular job, I just wanted my time to be flexible. I also, like Jeff Sieh, did not want a ceiling on my dreams and income. As my sons says whenever I tell him we can’t afford such and such “just go out and get an extra client this month to pay for it.”. Ha!

Thanks Blair! That flexibility can be really important, particularly when you’re raising a family. For me, being able to help out with my two little girls has been critical.

Dennis Perkins IV

Great article. I recently have been wanting to step out on my own. I am tried of my current job but find it hard to walk away as I do need an income, health insurance, etc… I’m also in the process of immigrating to Canada to be with my wife so I need to find a way to make it on my own or be stuck at another “regular job”.

Thanks a lot Dennis! And those are definitely the kinds of “hurdles” I was referring to.

And that sounds like the perfect scenario for building an online business, one where your physical location doesn’t matter. I went through the same thing in 2006 – I met my future wife, but I was in Ohio and she was in Missouri, and I was just starting a new sales job. I started to look for online or remote work that I could instead so that I could relocate and maintain my income.

I walked out of my last job in 1989, swearing never to work for anyone else ever again. 24 years later, I am still struggling, but it was worth it, and I keep on going because I know I will achieve everything I want, soon. No, I am too old now to fly on clouds.

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